CoolGuitarGear
Well-known member
No affiliation to the company.
The last review I did on a Hagerman product was the Power Baby (tube power amp in a pedal), and that has impressed me more than any other Hagerman product… it’s one of those always on pedals that make a significant difference in one’s tone and overall note quality (which is true of any power amp… preamps on their own sound good, but something is missing). The Power Baby quickly replaced my power amp sims. It was shortly after that I was very curious about the Overdrive Clipper, a true bypass, all-analog, dual 12AX7 tube pedal preamp designed to mimic classic Dumbly tones, although Jim Hagerman’s design was customized to surpass the original. Them’s fighting words, and it didn’t disappoint.
This is a dual preamp, in that you have full, clear tones when ‘clean’ and then higher-gain with the Clip toggle flipped, thus engaging an all-tube symmetric clipper circuit for some great Rock edge. In either instance, the Tone and Color knobs is what provides a plethora of sounds and in various combinations. The Color control provides equalization, so that anything below 12-noon is smoother, duplicating Robben Ford settings (particularly when minimized), and settings past 12-noon have more edge and cut. The Tone control sweeps through a range of mids, whether looking for something darker or brighter, thus affecting and developing the Color to one’s preference.
Again, without the Clip switch engaged, the cleans are fantastic, and make for an excellent pedal platform for distortion, etc., and particularly if looking for more gain than what the Overdrive Clipper offers. I demonstrate this in the demo. Nonetheless, with Drive up full while playing clean, you still get a nice sparkling bite that is very pick sensitive and dynamic. With Clip engaged, you now are into Rock territory and it sounds great… thick and chewy, yet very defined.
The Lift switch acts outside the circuit, providing a 10dB boost in gain, which can push rhythm even harder, but obviously is suited best for lead playing. It really helps to make those notes sing and soar.
There is plenty of Volume on tape, and I never pushed it to the limit while clean, and often kept it below 12-noon with Clip engaged (which increases volume). There’s also enough Drive for my liking, which sounds good low or full bore when clean (sparkly and some nice breakup). When clipping, I often keep Drive between 11-o’clock and 2-o’clock for rhythm, but may go full Drive, or at least past 12-noon, with lead. Much of this depends on the composition, of course.
The way I used the Overdrive Clipper is within a pedalboard format, and then off for direct recording (or it could go to a mixer/PA for live playing). The pedal also can be integrated as a preamp feeding a power amp directly via an effects loop/return (keep tone controls close to flat on your amp and adjust Tone and Color via the pedal’s controls). I am a huge fan of preamp pedals, and the Overdrive Clipper has established itself as one of my main choices, for cleans, solid rock sounds that pop in the mix, but also as a platform pedal with other gear. I also should note that I have Cornerstone’s Imperium, which is a Dumblesque preamp, and although good, it does not compare to the tubes and guts of the Overdrive Clipper. The Imperium sounds more like a pedal mimicking something, whereas Hagerman created a pedal that responds and reacts like an actual amp.
The Overdrive Clipper includes a wall-wart power source (+12V @500mA). Other specs include: 52dB maximum gain (no LIFT); 470k ohm input impedance; 3Vrms maximum output; 140V tube supply; and measures 4.7" x 5.8" x 2.3". Two thumbs up!
https://www.hagamps.com/collections/pedals/products/overdrive-clipper-dumbly-tube-pedal
The last review I did on a Hagerman product was the Power Baby (tube power amp in a pedal), and that has impressed me more than any other Hagerman product… it’s one of those always on pedals that make a significant difference in one’s tone and overall note quality (which is true of any power amp… preamps on their own sound good, but something is missing). The Power Baby quickly replaced my power amp sims. It was shortly after that I was very curious about the Overdrive Clipper, a true bypass, all-analog, dual 12AX7 tube pedal preamp designed to mimic classic Dumbly tones, although Jim Hagerman’s design was customized to surpass the original. Them’s fighting words, and it didn’t disappoint.
This is a dual preamp, in that you have full, clear tones when ‘clean’ and then higher-gain with the Clip toggle flipped, thus engaging an all-tube symmetric clipper circuit for some great Rock edge. In either instance, the Tone and Color knobs is what provides a plethora of sounds and in various combinations. The Color control provides equalization, so that anything below 12-noon is smoother, duplicating Robben Ford settings (particularly when minimized), and settings past 12-noon have more edge and cut. The Tone control sweeps through a range of mids, whether looking for something darker or brighter, thus affecting and developing the Color to one’s preference.
Again, without the Clip switch engaged, the cleans are fantastic, and make for an excellent pedal platform for distortion, etc., and particularly if looking for more gain than what the Overdrive Clipper offers. I demonstrate this in the demo. Nonetheless, with Drive up full while playing clean, you still get a nice sparkling bite that is very pick sensitive and dynamic. With Clip engaged, you now are into Rock territory and it sounds great… thick and chewy, yet very defined.
The Lift switch acts outside the circuit, providing a 10dB boost in gain, which can push rhythm even harder, but obviously is suited best for lead playing. It really helps to make those notes sing and soar.
There is plenty of Volume on tape, and I never pushed it to the limit while clean, and often kept it below 12-noon with Clip engaged (which increases volume). There’s also enough Drive for my liking, which sounds good low or full bore when clean (sparkly and some nice breakup). When clipping, I often keep Drive between 11-o’clock and 2-o’clock for rhythm, but may go full Drive, or at least past 12-noon, with lead. Much of this depends on the composition, of course.
The way I used the Overdrive Clipper is within a pedalboard format, and then off for direct recording (or it could go to a mixer/PA for live playing). The pedal also can be integrated as a preamp feeding a power amp directly via an effects loop/return (keep tone controls close to flat on your amp and adjust Tone and Color via the pedal’s controls). I am a huge fan of preamp pedals, and the Overdrive Clipper has established itself as one of my main choices, for cleans, solid rock sounds that pop in the mix, but also as a platform pedal with other gear. I also should note that I have Cornerstone’s Imperium, which is a Dumblesque preamp, and although good, it does not compare to the tubes and guts of the Overdrive Clipper. The Imperium sounds more like a pedal mimicking something, whereas Hagerman created a pedal that responds and reacts like an actual amp.
The Overdrive Clipper includes a wall-wart power source (+12V @500mA). Other specs include: 52dB maximum gain (no LIFT); 470k ohm input impedance; 3Vrms maximum output; 140V tube supply; and measures 4.7" x 5.8" x 2.3". Two thumbs up!
https://www.hagamps.com/collections/pedals/products/overdrive-clipper-dumbly-tube-pedal
